New postal rates take effect this Sunday
WASHINGTON — The United States Postal Service filed notice with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) today of price changes to take effect this Sunday, Jan. 27.
The new prices will include a 5-cent increase in the price of a First-Class Mail Forever stamp, from 50 cents to 55 cents.
The single-piece additional ounce price will be reduced to 15 cents, so a 2-ounce stamped letter, such as a typical wedding invitation, will cost less to mail, decreasing from 71 cents to 70 cents.
The proposed prices, approved by the Governors of the Postal Service, would raise Mailing Services product prices approximately 2.5 percent.
Shipping Services price increases vary by product. For example, Priority Mail Express will increase 3.9 percent and Priority Mail will increase 5.9 percent. Although Mailing Services price increases are based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), Shipping Services prices are primarily adjusted according to market conditions.
Postal Service officials say they believe these new rates will keep the Postal Service competitive while providing the agency with needed revenue.
The proposed Mailing Services price changes include:
| Product Letters (1 oz.) Letters additional ounces Letters (metered 1 oz.) Outbound International Letters (1 oz.) Domestic Postcards |
Current 50 cents 21 cents 47 cents $1.15 35 cents |
Proposed 55 cents 15 cents 50 cents $1.15 35 cents |
The proposed domestic Priority Mail Retail Flat Rate price changes are:
| Product Small Flat Rate Box Medium Flat Rate Box Large Flat Rate Box APO/FPO Large Flat Rate Box Regular Flat Rate Envelope Legal Flat Rate Envelope Padded Flat Rate Envelope |
Current $7.20 $13.65 $18.90 $17.40 $6.70 $7.00 $7.25 |
Proposed $7.90 $14.35 $19.95 $18.45 $7.35 $7.65 $8.00 |
First-Class Package Service, a lightweight expedited offering used primarily by businesses for fulfillment purposes, will move to zone-based pricing to better align with the cost of service and improve value based on distance.
The Postal Service has some of the lowest letter mail postage rates in the industrialized world and also continues to offer a great value in shipping. Unlike some other shippers, the Postal Service does not add surcharges for fuel, residential delivery, or regular Saturday or holiday season delivery.
The complete Postal Service price filings with the new prices for all products can be found on the PRC site under the Daily Listings section at https://www.prc.gov/dockets/daily (see listing for Oct. 10). For the Mailing Services filing see Docket No. R2019-1. For the Shipping Services filing see Docket No. CP2019-3. The price change tables are also available on the Postal Service website at https://pe.usps.com/PriceChange/Index.
The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products, and services to fund its operations.